Fiber Optic Cable

Hello. I am a fiber optic cable. I look like a long, shiny thread, and I am made of special glass that is super-duper clear. I am very thin, like a piece of hair. My job is to carry something magical. I carry light. Before I was born, sending a message could be very slow, like a sleepy snail crawling through the grass. People had to wait and wait. But I came along to help messages zoom. I help them travel faster than a superhero, all around the world. I am a little light carrier, and I love my job.

Three clever friends named Donald, Robert, and Peter made me. They were wonderful scientists who worked at a special place called Corning. Way back in 1970, they decided to make a new kind of messenger from the purest, cleanest glass you can imagine. They worked very hard to make me just right. They discovered that light could bounce and zip through me for a very, very long way. It’s like a little light-ball bouncing inside a long tunnel, boing, boing, boing, without ever stopping. On a happy day, August 7th, 1970, they sent a little light on its first journey through me. It worked perfectly. They all cheered, “Hooray.”. I felt so proud and ready to start my big adventure.

Today, I have a very important job connecting everyone. I am part of a big family of threads that rest under the ground and even sleep at the bottom of the big, blue ocean. I carry your favorite cartoons to your screen so you can laugh. I carry happy songs so you can dance. When you wave hello to family far away on a video call, I am the one carrying your smile and your wave to them in just a blink. I love helping friends and families all over the big world share stories and hugs through a screen, making everyone feel a little closer together.